Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. VI.

Of pricking downe or fastening in the earth of small or great braunches.

SPrigs or plants taken from boughs or branches doe grow more speedily, and come to better perfection, than the ••eed of kernels, or the setting of stones, especially if it be put a little besides his owne ground and soylie, and of this sort are ••ig-trees, quince-trees and pom••gran••t-trees.

When a man is disposed to pricke downe some small sprig of a Mulberrie, Figge, Quince, Cornell, Pomegranat, and Plum-tree, or many sprigs of all these kinds, and their diuers sorts, he must cut them off betwixt the first of Nouember, and the later end of December, or a little after: and he must see that these his sprigs be faire and well fauoured ones, hauing a sound barke, full of little eyes, and as thicke as a sticke, or thicker. He must chuse such as be streight and full of moysture, consi∣sting of one onely rodd, and of young vvood, as of some three or foure yeares old, and that they haue also as much old vvood as they haue young: and they must be sharpened like a stake for the value of the length of halfe a foot, but the bare must

be left on vpon one side, that their end which you meane to put into the ground, must be writhen and steept in vvater: or else you must cleaue it a little in quarters, and make it stand vvide open and gape, vvith a beane in the cleft; or else some 〈◊〉〈◊〉 little small stone put in the middest thereof, and so pricke it downe in the earth a foot d••••pe: or else let it in a little-boxe of pease full of water, and so put them all into the ground together. The braunches must be gathered vpon a tree that is a good hand∣full thicke, and hath borne fruit: they must likewise be verie ••ound, and they may be watered with a pipe, which goeth downe vnto the root. Obserue and marke 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the place, nature of the soyle, and aspect or scituation of the tree from whence you haue gathered the branch, to pricke it downe on the same side, the like soyle and the same scituation, and lay vpon it some Elder-tree, if so be that you would not haue it 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shoot vp into a tall tree, but to continue alwaies low: the braunches being such, they will take the better, and not breake in the gathering.

To plant the Figge-tree after the manner of the Genowais, which shall beare fruit within three yeares after (and it may be thus planted all Sommer time) there must be taken a Figge-tree branch that hath borne fruit two or three yeares, and that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hauing leaues and fruit vpon it or not: it must be sharpened and cut biace, and p••ick∣ed thicke about that end which shall be set into the ground, and afterward planted in a pit halfe a foot deepe; in such sort as that the top of it may abide aboue the ground with three or foure of the little eyes, and be cou••••ed with straw for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 daies, and watered euerie one of those sixe daies: afterward let it be vncouered, because by this time it will haue put forth, and in the end of the yeare, towards the moneth of Februa∣rie, you must cut off that which is put forth close by the earth, and after that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 will shoot so mightily as that it will beare fruit the second yeare.

Notes

• The 〈…〉〈…〉 of sprigs of Mulberrie, Fig, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Pom••∣gran••••••, and Plumme-tre••••.
• To plant the fig tree after the manner of the 〈◊〉〈◊〉